by Martin Hanbury
(Sage, 1-4219-0228-2, 16.99, 020 7324 8500)
Reviewed by Janice McKinley, area SENCO, Bradford Early Years and Childcare Service This is an easy-to-read, informative guide for teachers and teaching assistants. It recognises that practitioners can sometimes feel unskilled when faced with the request to include children with autism.
The book starts with an overview of autism and explains how it affects learning. Chapter 3 highlights how important it is to understand autism, which can help to foster positive attitudes towards pupils with ASD. The chapter contains useful strategies and photocopiable Inset materials to support practitioners in sharing knowledge with their colleagues.
Chapters 4 and 5 consider behavioural issues, the social context of the classroom and effective communication. The case studies, suggestion boxes and checklists are very practical and would be useful for all classroom practitioners. The sensory overload checklist encourages practitioners to consider the perspective of the child, to optimise the learning environment.
